The River of Somnolence
by Pickle of Doom
Summary: Typical girl-gets-dropped-into-ME, Legomance, and 10th Walker story, only hopefully not so typical. Not a Mary Sue. Please R&R!
1. Night in the Forest

**Title: **The River of Somnolence 

**Summary:** Typical girl-gets-dropped-into-ME, Legomance, and 10th Walker story, only hopefully not so typical. Not a Mary Sue. Please R&R! ^^ 

**Rating: **PG-13 for later violence. Muahaha! *evil laughter*

**Disclaimer: **If you don't recognize something, it's mine.

**A/N: **Argh! Why must I do this? Why?! This is going to be my, what, fourth story in progress? I always do this; I start another story before I finish the first one. But when an idea gets in my head I just have to write it down! Oh well. I'll try to update my other ones soon.

I'm using the movies as my main guidelines. I'll be throwing odds and ends from the books in, though, as I go along. 

Well, here's the first chapter!

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**Chapter 1: Night in the ****Forest******

Golden brown leaves fell in swirls of color to the forest floor. The sun's warm rays filtered through the leafy tree tops and splayed on the ground, creating beautiful designs. The leaves crunched merrily under my feet as I breathed in the fresh air happily. As I walked along, a low growl met my ears. I halted and narrowed my eyes, listening for any more movements.

Suddenly, a wild monster leapt out of the surrounding foliage. It was a thing from your worst nightmares. Shaped like a man, it was stooped and had disgusting dark, leathery skin which was dripping with nauseating ooze. Strange rings and hoops were pierced all over its face and ears and it was dressed in dirty rags. In its hand was a crude blade, seemingly in between a sword and an axe. It glared at me and growled as I stared back at it, unafraid.

As we started circling, my right hand reached towards my left hip and I slowly unsheathed a magnificent sword. It was of the strongest steel with a simple hilt overlaid in silver. In the middle of the pommel was a single black stone. I held it straight out in front of myself and crouched into a fighter's stance as I circled my prey. . .

"Natasha!"

I started in my seat. I sighed, taking my chin out of my palm, and turned away from the window to face my teacher. The scowl on my face dutifully smoothed to an artificially guilty expression. My math teacher, Mrs. Porter, was an irate woman with an incredibly large girth and a red, puffed face that greatly resembled a bloated, rabid manatee. I had never seen a bloated, rabid manatee but I imagined that Mrs. Porter could easily pass off as one. 

Maybe I could kidnap her and sell her to a fancy zoo somewhere. They'd probably pay a mint for a genuine bloated, rabid manatee. But then Mrs. Porter would obviously need a suitable manatee-ish name. Like Puffy. Yes, Puffy fit her very well. I smiled, quite pleased with myself when an infuriated squawk from Puffy brought me back to the present situation.   

"And just what are you smiling about, Miss Damon?!"

I looked up with an innocent expression, ignoring the stares I was receiving from my classmates. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mrs. Puff—Porter."

Whew. That was close. I doubted that my teacher would appreciate being called Puffy. At least the Mrs. in front of it would have saved me a bit. However, judging from the fact that Mrs. Porter's face had turned a decidedly redder hue and her mouth was opening and closing like a demented goldfish, she obviously didn't appreciate being called Mrs. Puff-Porter either.

My ears and pride were saved from a torturously boring, high-pitched, and public lecture on respect, attentiveness, and all those other things that teachers like to prattle on about (but that no one cares about), when the bell rang. It was 3:30. School was out.

Well, hallelujah and praise the lord! With a small whoop, I scooped my books into my backpack and dashed from the room as fast as my skirt would let me. Darn uniform. I tripped out into the hallway and swiftly made my way to my locker. Tossing my backpack down between my feet, I attacked the lock fiercely, muttering obscenities under my breath as I fought with the stubborn combination. 

Let's see now . . . 567025—no wait. That's not right. 567**205**, a sharp rap with my knuckles, and voila! I smiled triumphantly as the rusty locker creaked noisily open, voicing its protests against movement. Shoving my things inside, I slammed it shut, twirled around and strolled away down the hall. Friday was now over and I had the whole weekend ahead of me. 

My ears twitched as I heard familiar footsteps approaching. I scowled. Couldn't he leave me alone? With my black hair and orange eyes, everyone normally did there best to avoid me. All except one person. Christopher Nathanial Bartholomew Wordsworthington the Third.

The name pretty much says it all. He was about six feet tall with unkempt hair that was blond-bordering-on-brown, a face full of angry looking zits, braces complete with headgear, and a .7 mm neon green mechanical pencil which was seemingly attached to his hand. Typical geek. Yeah, you know the one.

Actually, though, if he lost the braces and headgear, got a deeper voice, had a clear complexion, got a haircut, and got a complete personality change, he might have been pretty hot. But as it was, he was an ugly twerp that was annoying as hell.  Christopher Nathanial Bartholomew Wordsworthington the Third, fondly (cough) referred to as Chris, was the only person that wasn't frightened of me. Everyone else called me the Demon. Yep. Damon the Demon, that's me. Chris, on the other hand, took the exact opposite approach. To him, I was a goddess. A siren. An angel of light and mercy. He practically worshiped the ground I walked on.

That pencil of his, by the way, had been a gift from me. He had borrowed it once and I had told him to, "Just keep it. I have millions of them anyway." Immediately he had started crowing about how generous I was. How giving! Oh, I was such a wonderful woman! He would be the father of my children! I gagged. You can obviously see why I did _not_ want him to catch up with me. 

Speeding up, I delved into a crowd of freshmen and swiftly made my way out the exit. I smiled and breathed in the crisp autumn air. This was my favorite season. The temperature was just right and everything was so beautiful. The trees were standing proudly in all their crimson and golden glory and little animals were constantly skittering about in their quest for food for the long winter months.

Walking down the sidewalk, I headed towards the richer portion of the city. On both sides of the road, huge houses rose with multiple stories and vast well-kept lawns and gardens. Without looking right or left, I walked past all of the wealthy homes and turned into a small, poor development at the very end. Entering a shabby blue ranch, I threw her backpack onto a ratty couch.

"Mom! I'm home!"

Silence . . . and then a small, "Hic."

I sighed and rolled her eyes. Not again. The sight in the kitchen confirmed my fears. A flabby woman looking to be in her mid-to-late forties was sprawled out on the floor with five empty beer bottles next to her and a quarter filled one in her hand.

My mother was drunk. Again. 

Suppressing a weary sigh, I grabbed all six bottles and threw them into a nearby trashcan. I grimaced and shot my mother a disgusted look before stomping back out into the living room. 

Ever since my father had died four years ago and left quite a tidy sum to my mother, the older woman had gotten it into her head that her days as a working woman were over and she could spend the rest of her days rotting from booze. While it was true that she no longer needed to work, that was no excuse to move into a house that could easily have been mistaken for a large dumpster and waste money on liquor instead of bettering her daughter's education. 

I snorted. My mother would easily drink herself into an early grave and leave me an orphan. How selfish could a person be! True, Papa's death was a terrible blow, but my goodness! I had learned to cope and so should she! But no, getting hammered on a daily basis was better. I shook my head. I would never understand that woman. 

Rubbing my eyes, I sighed. I needed a break. School was horrible, home was horrible, _everything_ was horrible. I _really_ needed a break. A vacation. But where could I go? I scrunched my face up in thought. My mom would never take me anywhere, I didn't have any money, and we didn't own a car. My face suddenly lit up.

Camping! Of course! There was a large forest, behind the trailer park, that was allegedly "haunted". According to legend, a man had gone into it once and had never been seen again. What rubbish! The forest itself, or at least what little of it could be seen from my trailer, was beautiful and the _perfect_ place for a relaxing overnight camping trip with just me and Solitude. 

Solitude was my pet. Well, I couldn't really call the hawk my pet because it wasn't really tame. Solitude was a beautiful red tailed hawk that lived in the forest and came and went at will, although basically it only left when I went to school.

Opening the back door, I grabbed a large square piece of sturdy leather with thick strips connected to the sides; it was laying on the railing for the porch. Wrapping it around my right arm, I tied it securely with the strips. Putting my thumb and index finger to my lips, I blew as hard as I could. I scowled as all I ended up doing was blowing a very large raspberry. Sighing in resignation, I pursed my lips together, let out an ear-piercing whistle, and waited patiently. Sure enough, only a few moments passed before a loud shriek greeted my ears and a small brown shape flew out of the dense grove of trees. 

I grinned as Solitude alighted onto my protected arm and gave me a small squawk in greeting. It lowered its head and I smiled fondly before complying and reached out to scratch the back of its neck.

"How are ya, Sol? Did you catch some nice squirrels out there? Hm?"  

I laughed as the hawk grabbed a chunk of my hair with its beak and tugged playfully.

"Hey! That's all I've got you know! See how _you _like it!" 

Reaching out, I tugged on a feather and Solitude squawked at me indignantly.

"See?" I smiled smugly and Solitude glowered at me before flying off into the trailer in a huff.

I rolled her eyes as I followed it back inside. "Damn moody bird's got PMS. Is that even possible?"

Shaking my head, I walked past the couch that Solitude had chosen to perch upon and went into my purple bedroom. Stripping off my plaid school uniform, I put on a plain pair of jean shorts, a green tank top, a pair of black boots, and a navy blue zip-up hoodie. Not bothering to fold my uniform, I threw it into my closet and picked up a black backpack. Walking back into the kitchen, I dumped the contents out onto the floor next to my mother. Then I went through the house, picking up random things and dropping them into the backpack.

"Ok. What to bring . . . aha! My CD player! Gotta have that."

Taking it, I started to move off before smacking my forehead and grabbing a few CDs.

"Stupid me. What good's a CD player without CDs? Ok, which ones, Sol? Evanescence, System of a Down, Puddle of Mudd, Hoobastank, or Rammstein?"

Solitude simply blinked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I thought so too." I dropped them all in.  A few minutes later, the backpack was fit to burst and I dropped it down next to the couch with a thud, causing Solitude to start and flutter its wings a bit.

"Alrighty, we've got CDs, lots of extra batteries, a couple of blankets, some hot dogs, flint, some matches incase that doesn't work, a lighter incase that doesn't work," I counted them all off on my fingers, "my camera, an extra pair of socks, a few candy bars, some soap, my little lucky pillow," I squealed and squeezed said pillow to myself, "a knife, a hat, and a flashlight. Is that all we need? I guess so. Ok, let's—wait! Bug spray!"

I darted into another room and soon reappeared with a small spray can in my hand. Tossing it into the backpack, I hefted the overflowing bag onto my back and trudged out of the trailer, being sure to lock the door behind me after Solitude flew out. With a bright smile, I jogged to the forest, Solitude slowly flying about ten feet in front of me.

I indulged in a small skip. What a beautiful day it was! The sun that had been riding high in the sky was now slowly descending to the horizon as the afternoon came to a close. A thin layer of clouds covered the sky causing the blue to be several shades darker. The air was perfect, not cool but not warm. You know how it is when the temperature is about the same as your skin so you don't feel it at all? Well that's how it was. It was a day that made you feel happy to be alive, and was I ever.

Finally reaching the forest, I stopped at the edge and gazed into it. It did have a somewhat eerie quality to it. The treetops were extremely dense so that barely any of the dim evening light filtered through to the soft loam of the forest floor. The trees rustled with unseen arboreal creatures, and the ground level of the dark woodlands was extremely still and silent in comparison. Shivering slightly, I pulled my jacket around myself tighter and grinned madly. This was going to be fun!

Trotting into the forest, I started whistling merrily. The sound was muted in the smothering stillness and I soon trailed off, being content with merely the noisy sound of pattering feet. I did a double take. Wait a minute, pattering feet? My footsteps were silent! Okay, maybe not silent but I did pride myself on walking pretty quietly. They were definitely quieter then that! Halting abruptly, I cocked my head, listening intently.

Yes, that was definitely the sound of someone walking. A male, and attempting to tread lightly, from the sound of it. I judged him to be pretty tall, as the footsteps were spaced relatively far apart. This meant his strides were longer so he was either running or tall. The footsteps were light enough where he was definitely not running so I rested with the conclusion that he was tall.

They were gradually becoming louder so I assumed that he was walking towards me. All this meant either one of two things. One was that he was sneaking up to or following me. The second, that he was sneaking away from something and just happened to be going in my direction. Both brought up one question. Why? 

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. I tensed and held my right arm out straight, the silent signal for Solitary to return if within viewing distance. A rustling of wings alerted me and Solitary flew down from a nearby tree, landing on my arm with a loud shriek and a mad fluttering of wings. 

I swore under her breath. So much for being silent. Hushing Solitude, I listened once again. The telltale footsteps were hurriedly moving off in the opposite direction. When I could hear them no more, I sighed with relief and relaxed, the tension flowing out of my body.

I definitely didn't want to run into a strange man in the middle of a creepy forest. Especially when the only weapon that I had was a small knife, which I didn't even know how to really use. All I knew was that you put the pointy end into the other person. I giggled. Well, that sounded quite professional!

Hefting my backpack higher up onto my shoulders, I began trotting once again, my feet falling silently (ha!) onto the muddy earth. As I absently looked up at the sky, I tripped over a large tree root and splatted against the ground. Mentally cursing all tree roots, I groaned and picked myself up. Looking about, I noticed that I had stumbled into a cozy little clearing. 

It was a perfect circle. On one side was a large boulder with smaller ones on the sides. Sticks of all sizes were scattered about the small glade and a large stream was running through the middle. I looked about happily.

"Well, Sol," I turned my head to my animal companion, "this place looks like it'll make a cozy berth for the night." I regarded the large stream dubiously. "Now if we can just get across this creek . . ."

Walking up to it, I noticed happily that there were a few stones in the center and along the other side.

"Perfect stepping stones!"

Crouching slightly, I jumped out and landed on a rock. Waving my arms wildly to keep my balance, I managed to hop onto another stone, splashing myself quite a bit whilst doing so. Jumping to the next one, my foot slipped and I fell halfway into the clear water.

It was cold!

Leaping upright, I sprinted through the water the rest of the way and safely reached the other bank. 

I groaned as I lifted a foot to examine the soggy shoe. I squelched over to the boulders and plopped down beneath the largest one, noting in satisfaction the snug little alcove underneath the front.  Settling down, I grabbed a few sticks lying handy nearby and made a little pile of them. Opening up my backpack, I didn't even bother with the flint and went straight to the matches. Sprinkling a few leaves on her firewood, I lit a match and placed it next to the leaves.

To my delight, a small flame leapt up and I quickly fed it with more sticks and leaves. When I had a proper small fire going, I took off my boots, and changed into a clean pair of socks. Setting my boots in front of the fire to dry, I rummaged through my bag until I found the package of hot dogs. 

"Hey, Solitude!"

I smiled as the hawk flew to my side. 

"Here you go," I said, handing Solitude a raw hot dog.

Grabbing the meat with its beak, the bird flew off with its meal. I, however, enjoyed cooked meat so I spit the hot dog on a stick and held it out over the fire. A few minutes later, it was done to perfection and I put it on a leaf to cool.

"Mama mia!" I cried, using a bad Italian accent. I kissed my finger tips. "Molto bene e magnifico!"

Giggling to myself, I ate the hot dog hungrily. Then I set out the blanket in front of the fire, yawning hugely. I yawned again and flopped backwards onto my makeshift bed. Why was I so tired? It was only . . . I checked my watch. Only 7:30. I usually went to bed around 10:00. Oh well, I'd explore some tomorrow.

Feeling rather thirsty, I staggered upright and stumbled over to the stream. Kneeling down, I cupped some of the cool, clear water in my hands and drank it. My eyes widened in surprise. It was good! Not just good, it was _wonderful_! It was cool and sweet and twenty times better than any bottled water I had ever tasted, and I was a sucker for bottled water. Filling my cupped hands again, I gulped the water down greedily until my thirst was quenched.

Sitting up, I patted my stomach and sighed happily. I was in the great outdoors. I was full and warm. I yawned and scratched my head ruefully. And she was _extremely _tired. Suddenly, a sense of weariness hit her like none other she had ever felt before in all her eighteen years. Before she had time to think, she slumped over and fell into a deep sleep.

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**A/N:  **Please read and review! I'll give you a cookie! *hopeful smile*


	2. Lost

**Disclaimer: **If you don't recognize something, it's mine.

**A/N: **Wheee! Thanks for reviewing everybody. ^^ Cookies for all! Oh, and I've made some revisions. You see, when I started writing this I had no plot whatsoever, which left me with many loose ends. I sat m'self down a few days ago and actually wrote something forming a plot! Go me! ^^ 

So, in case you don't want to read the previous chapter all over again for merely a new paragraph, she is no longer going to be elven in any way. Nope. No pointy ears. No extra sharp senses. Nothing. Nada. Nil. Zilch. Zip. Zero. Well, you get the idea . . .  

Oh, and I'm going to be switching this around from first to third person. What can I say? I like first person. *shrugs* I won't have to label them, though, because only Natasha's POV will ever be in first person.

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**Chapter 2: Lost**

I awoke with a pounding headache. Opening my bleary eyes slowly, I rubbed the sleep from them and yawned. Stretching my arms out in front of me, I squeaked in pain as a very agitated Solitude landed on my right arm.

"I don't have my arm pad on!"

As if sensing my discomfort, the great hawk, hopped onto the ground next to me and fidgeted, flustered. I cocked my head.

"What's wrong, girl?" I cooed, stroking the soft feathers. 

It was then that I looked at my surroundings for the first time. The forest looked . . . darker. Not light-wise but mood-wise. It seemed more sinister, more disturbing, denser, and thicker. I glanced at the stream and gasped. It had grown in size to a good sized river and now the water was black! What kind of a stream grows that quickly? What kind of a stream had black water? What kind of a stream had water that changed color overnight?

I jumped up in alarm and winced as my head throbbed even more. I looked about me and saw to my relief that the boulders, my campfire, and my backpack were undisturbed. Hurrying over, I threw my boots on and put on my backpack. Forget exploring, I wanted to go home. This place was creepy. Maybe it _was _haunted. I shuddered and then instantly sneered at myself.

_What's this? Getting scared?_

Of course not! I wasn't scared! Just a bit . . . nervous. That's all. 

Calling Solitude, I hastily jogged from the clearing back in the direction I had come from last night. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, a sudden new thought hit me. Why was it so dark? According to my watch, it was 1:00 in the afternoon. The sun should practically be at its zenith! Peering at the treetops, I could barely make out bits of sunlight through the slits in the lofty, verdant foliage. 

Hours later, I was still blundering along. I had taken out my matches long ago and thanked my lucky stars that I had thought to bring so many boxes. There were strange creatures watching me from the shadows, I could see their eyes watching me, always watching me. I could tell that even Solitude was frightened as she flew closer than she normally did. When I was holding a lit match, the shadows were pushed farther away, causing the eyes, and the animals to which they were attached, to recede with them. 

I still didn't know how I could have gotten lost.

_Is this the same forest? The one had home was definitely not this big. _

No! Don't be stupid, Nat! I mentally berated myself. Of course it's the same forest! What else would it be?

_A different forest maybe?___

I snorted. Right. I woke up in a dark version of the same forest. An alternate evil universe? I chuckled to myself. Just as my chuckles were subsiding, I heard a twig snap. Instantly, I stood stock still, my whole body tense. Please don't be a gigantic man-eating monster! I quickly threw my backpack onto the ground and took my knife from it.

Turning slowly to where the sound came from, I swallowed thickly.

"Show yourself!" I winced at how high-pitched and scratchy my voice sounded. Clearing my throat, I tried again. "Show yourself!"

Instantly, three men stepped from the shadows, all held bows with arrows pointed straight at my heart. I let out a loud, "Eep!" and lunged to the right, using a large tree to shield my body. Cautiously, I peaked out from the side.

One of them stepped forward, his long blonde hair falling about his shoulders. He relaxed his bow slightly and I started as he spoke, his voice low and melodious.

"Who are you and from whence do you hail? What right have you to wander the Woodland Realm? Speak quickly." He spoke with a thick British accent.

My eyes widened. Oh lord, these men were psychos! They could kill me on the spot! Gulping visibly, I answered.

"M-my name is Natasha Damon and I'm 18 years old. And my house is somewhere over there, I think," I motioned vaguely in the direction I had been traveling, "I was camping out for the night and I found this glade and drank from the stream and I woke up and the stream was bigger and black and streams _aren't supposed to do that_ and I've been wandering for _hours_ and I think I'm lost and I'm freaked out with all these animals around and the forest looks creepier than normal so I'm trying to find my way home and-and-and-" I cut off as I realized I was babbling and simply stood there, trembling.

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Novardo's gaze swept over the shaking girl. With her black hair and golden eyes, she was obviously not from Mirkwood. So where was she from? He cocked an eyebrow as he glanced at the tiny knife in her hand. Did she really think she could protect herself with such a toy? And what was she doing wandering around practically defenseless in the middle of the dangerous wood? How had she managed to cross the Black River?

Looking back at Lafen and Elaed, he nodded to them. They would have to take her back with them. There was no telling if she was dangerous or not, and she could be a spy. With the Shadow moving in the East and the capture of Gollum, they had to be extra careful when dealing with strange folk.

The young soldier turned back to the girl. While Lafen and Elaed circled around her, he would keep her attention. 

"Tell me; are you elf, man, or half-elven?"

The girl looked at him in confusion. "Elves? Do you mean the little people with pointy ears that run around and help Santa? They're not real, buddy."

Novardo lifted his eyes heavenward and sighed. She must be mortal then. Foolish, ignorant creatures. 

"They _are_ real, my lady, for I am one." He would have added, "as are my companions" except that that would have drawn attention to them.

The girl snorted. "Hate to burst your bubble, Mr. _Elf_," she said in a mocking voice, and made quotation gestures with her hands, "but elves are _not real_. They're from fairy tales and other stories. Elves." She snorted again at the ridiculous notion. "And I suppose there's a big palace over there," she vaguely gestured to her right, "with a king and prince and somewhere far away there's a mountain with an evil dragon with a horde of stolen treasure that has captured some fair maiden which the prince will then rescue in a feat of heroic bravery and then marry the damsel-formerly-in-distress and live happily ever after?" she asked all in one breath.

Novardo raised an eyebrow. "Yes, except that the king and prince live in a cave, the dragon was slain years ago and there was no fair maiden."

Her condescending look was instantly replaced with one of fear and Novardo smirked.

Just as she was about to make a run for it, Natasha felt an arm latch onto her shoulder. With a squeak of surprise, she whirled around reflexively; tucking her arm under her assailant's, effectively locking it in place, and punched him squarely in the eye. Out of the corner of her eye, Natasha saw someone else reach for her and she ducked, kneeing her new attacker hard in the groin. Crouching down, she darted away before the first man could make a come back.

Novardo watched her run off in surprise. With her show of fear earlier, he hadn't expected her to know any type of combat. Shaking his head at the way his companions dealt with her attacks, he figured they hadn't expected it either. With a sigh, he sprinted off after her, easily reaching her within a couple of minutes. She was stumbling along at a rather slow pace, obviously unused to running through a forest. 

With a small jump forward, he latched onto her elbow and jerked backwards, causing her to fly back with a squeak and fall on her rear. Her muscles tensed as she made ready to flee once again, so he flipped her over and twisted her arm, holding it upright straight above her and placing his foot lightly on the small of her back. As she struggled, the elf put a small amount of pressure on her wrist. She cried out as a lightning pain shot through her arm and stopped wiggling immediately. He leaned down and spoke near her ear.

"I don't want to hurt you but I will if you do not stop this foolish fighting. You will not win and you have no hope for escape. Come with us willingly and it will be all the better for you. What say you?"

He pressed slight pressure on her wrist and she squeaked once again. He smiled in amusement. What was she, a mouse?

"Alright. Alright! I yield! Uncle!" Natasha slapped the ground with her hand.

The elf let her up, giving her a quizzical look as she got to her feet. "Uncle?"

She rolled her eyes before slapping her hand to her forehead and waving off his question.

He bristled and grabbed her arm roughly, dragging her back to where his friends were. Judging rightly that he would catch the strange mortal without trouble, they had started setting up camp as nightfall was quickly approaching. Lafen was sitting by a good sized fire and absently poking it with a stick while Elaed was laying out their pallets and taking out an extra blanket for Natasha. 

Turning to the girl, Novardo pointed to a pallet. "Sit."

She scowled at him. "And I suppose you want me to balance a treat on my nose too?"

"Of course not," he said confusedly.

She sighed and plopped down onto a pallet. "Never mind."

Shrugging, Novardo sat down next to Lafen and pocked him, smiling slyly. "Wait until I tell the others that you were bested by a mortal girl."

"I wasn't bested!" the other elf said indignantly.

Novardo looked at him innocently. "So?"

Lafen answered him with a glare and turned back to the fire, poking it viciously. Elaed looked up from a sketch he was drawing in the dirt with a stick. 

"You weren't bested by a girl, but you did alert her to our presence. Imagine a warrior of your expertise making such noise!" he snorted, showing his opinion on the matter.

Lafen simply ignored him continued with his poking, a sullen expression on his face. Chuckling, Novardo turned back to the girl they had found. She was staring into the fire with a blank expression on her face. He tilted his head as he studied her. She was quite pretty, as mortals go, with her black hair and pale skin. He had never seen hair as black as hers before and knew that she would be quite a marvel when they got back to the city. Also, her large golden eyes gave a slightly eerie quality to her. Suddenly, she looked up and locked eyes with him.

"Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer."

Novardo looked at her in confusion. "Take a picture? What does that mean?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know, with a camera?"

He simply shook his head. "Whatever it is, I don't care. You'd best get some sleep. If we start off at dawn we will probably reach the City by mid-afternoon."

Natasha gave him a questioning glance but he didn't explain further. Turning to her backpack, she opened up and began rifling through it. Immediately, all of the elves jumped up. Quickly snatched her pillow, she held it up and tossed her pack away from her.

"It's just a pillow, see?"

Wordlessly, they sat down once more and Natasha settled down as best she could on the pallet. Within a few minutes, she drifted into a fitful slumber.

***

Hehe, hot elves! Woohoo! ^^ Novardo is extra special to me. *huggles* Many of you know why. ^_- Anyhoo, Legolas comes into the story in the next chapter, for those of you who are getting impatient.


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